Display apparatus and, apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

One or more embodiments include a display apparatus including an opening, an apparatus for manufacturing the display apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the display apparatus capable of reducing generation of gas or foreign matter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2018-0087999, filed on Jul. 27, 2018, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

One or more embodiments relate to an apparatus and method, and moreparticularly, to a display apparatus, an apparatus for manufacturing thedisplay apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the display apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, a display apparatus has been used for various purposes. Also,since a thickness of a display apparatus and a weight of the displayapparatus are reduced, a utilization range of the display apparatus hasbeen increasing.

In a display apparatus, various functions attached to or linked to thedisplay apparatus are being added while increasing a display area. Inorder to add various functions while increasing the display area, therehas been suggested a display apparatus in which an opening is providedin a display area.

SUMMARY

In a display apparatus having an opening, when a laser beam or amechanical polishing is used after arranging each layer in order togenerate the opening, gas or foreign matter may be generated whileremoving some layers. One or more embodiments include a displayapparatus including an opening, an apparatus for manufacturing thedisplay apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the display apparatuscapable of reducing generation of gas or foreign matter. However, theabove technical feature is exemplary, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments, a display apparatus includes: asubstrate including an opening region and a display area at leastpartially surrounding the opening region; a plurality of displayelements on the display area, each of the plurality of display elementsincluding a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediatelayer between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode; and a thinfilm encapsulation layer including at least one organic encapsulationlayer and at least one inorganic encapsulation layer. The thin filmencapsulation layer covers the plurality of display elements. Theopposite electrode and a functional layer of the intermediate layer areentirely arranged on the display area. At least one of the oppositeelectrode and the functional layer is partitioned into a plurality ofregions connected to each other on the display area. An overlappingregion is provided between two adjacent regions from among the pluralityof regions. The overlapping region is obtained by overlapping at leastone of the opposite electrode and the functional layer on each regionwith at least one of the opposite electrode and the functional layer onan adjacent region.

A boundary of the overlapping region at least partially may have aconcavo-convex shape.

The concavo-convex shape may be atypical.

According to one or more embodiments, an apparatus for manufacturing adisplay apparatus including an opening region and a display area atleast partially surrounding the opening region is presented. Theapparatus includes a chamber; a source portion; a first mask assembly,and a second mask assembly. The source portion is arranged in thechamber and is configured to supply a deposition material into thechamber. The first mask assembly is configured to be arranged in thechamber and comprises a first opening, through which the depositionmaterial is configured to pass. The second mask assembly is configuredto be selectively arranged in the chamber to be replaceable with thefirst mask assembly, the second mask assembly comprising a secondopening, through which the deposition material is configured to pass.The deposition material is configured to pass through the first openingto be deposited on a part of a display substrate to form a firstdeposition area surrounding a part of the opening region and isconfigured to pass through the second opening to be deposited on adifferent part of the display substrate to form a second deposition areasurrounding a different part of the opening region and different fromthe first deposition area. The first deposition area and the seconddeposition area are connected to each other to form one display area onthe display substrate.

At least one of a portion of the first opening corresponding to aboundary of the first deposition area and a portion of the secondopening corresponding to a boundary of the second deposition area mayhave a concavo-convex shape, wherein the portion of the first openingand the portion of the second opening may face each other.

The concavo-convex shape may be atypical.

A concavo-convex shape of the first opening and a concavo-convex shapeof the second opening may be coupled to each other.

The first deposition area and the second deposition area at leastpartially may overlap with each other.

At least one of the first mask assembly and the second mask assembly maybe configured to be arranged sequentially in the chamber.

The first mask assembly may include a first protrusion protrudingtowards an inner portion of the first opening and configured to blockthe deposition material.

The second mask assembly may include a second protrusion protrudingtowards an inner portion of the second opening and configured to blockthe deposition material.

According to one or more embodiments, a method of manufacturing adisplay apparatus, the method includes: arranging a display substrateand a first mask assembly in a chamber; depositing a deposition materialon a part of the display substrate through a first opening of the firstmask assembly to form a first deposition area surrounding a part of anopening region; arranging a second mask assembly in the chamber afterwithdrawing the first mask assembly out of the chamber; and depositingthe deposition material on a different part of the display substratethrough a second opening of the second mask assembly to form a seconddeposition area surrounding a different part of the opening region. Thefirst deposition area and the second deposition area are connected toeach other to at least partially surround the opening region.

The first deposition area and the second deposition area may at leastpartially overlap with each other.

At least one of a boundary of the first deposition area overlapping withthe second deposition area and a boundary of the second deposition areaoverlapping with the first deposition area may have a concavo-convexshape.

The concavo-convex shape may be atypical.

A concavo-convex shape in a boundary of the first deposition area and aconcavo-convex shape in a boundary of the second deposition area may becoupled to each other.

The first mask assembly may include a first opening corresponding to thefirst deposition area and a first protrusion protruding towards an innerportion of the first opening to block a part of the opening region.

A boundary of the first opening connected to the first protrusion mayhave a concavo-convex shape.

The second mask assembly may include a second opening corresponding tothe second deposition area and a second protrusion protruding towards aninner portion of the second opening to block a part of the openingregion.

A boundary of the second opening connected to the second protrusion mayhave a concavo-convex shape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for manufacturing adisplay apparatus, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first mask assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second mask assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating operations of theapparatus for manufacturing the display apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating operations of theapparatus for manufacturing the display apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a display apparatus manufactured by theapparatus for manufacturing the display apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of an organiclight-emitting device of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a first opening according to anembodiment; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a first opening according to anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of whichare illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like referencenumerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the presentembodiments may have different forms and should not be construed asbeing limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, theembodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, toexplain aspects of the present description. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” whenpreceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and donot modify the individual elements of the list.

As the present disclosure allows for various changes and numerousembodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawingsand described in detail in the written description. The attacheddrawings for illustrating one or more embodiments are referred to inorder to gain a sufficient understanding, and the merits thereof.However, the embodiments may have different forms and should not beconstrued as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein.

The exemplary embodiments will be described below in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. Those components that are thesame or are in correspondence are rendered the same reference numeralregardless of the figure number, and redundant explanations are omitted.

While such terms as “first,” “second,” etc., may be used to describevarious components, such components must not be limited to the aboveterms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component fromanother.

An expression used in the singular encompasses the expression of theplural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context.

In the present specification, it is to be understood that the terms suchas “including,” “having,” and “comprising” are intended to indicate theexistence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts,or combinations thereof disclosed in the specification, and are notintended to preclude the possibility that one or more other features,numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof mayexist or may be added.

It will be understood that when a layer, region, or component isreferred to as being “formed on” another layer, region, or component, itcan be directly or indirectly formed on the other layer, region, orcomponent. That is, for example, intervening layers, regions, orcomponents may be present.

Sizes of components in the drawings may be exaggerated for convenienceof explanation. In other words, since sizes and thicknesses ofcomponents in the drawings are arbitrarily illustrated for convenienceof explanation, the following embodiments are not limited thereto.

When a certain embodiment may be implemented differently, a specificprocess order may be performed differently from the described order. Forexample, two consecutively described processes may be performedsubstantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to thedescribed order.

In the embodiments below, it will be understood when layers, areas, orelements or the like are referred to as being “connected,” they can bedirectly connected or an intervening portion may be present betweenlayers, areas or elements. For example, when layers, areas, or elementsor the like are referred to as being “electrically connected,” they canbe directly electrically connected, or layers, areas or elements may beindirectly electrically connected and an intervening portion may bepresent.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus 1 for manufacturing adisplay apparatus, according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspectiveview of a first mask assembly 40 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective viewof a second mask assembly 50 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the apparatus 1 for manufacturing a displayapparatus may include a chamber 10, a first supporter 20, a secondsupporter 30, the first mask assembly 40, the second mask assembly 50, asource portion 60, a pressure adjuster 70, and a vision portion 80.

The chamber 10 may include an internal space in which a deposition isperformed. Here, the chamber 10 may include an opening portion, where agate valve 11 is located to close or open the opening portion.

The first supporter 20 is arranged in the chamber 10 to support adisplay substrate D. The first supporter 20 may have various shapes. Forexample, the first supporter 20 may be fixed in the chamber 10, and thedisplay substrate D may be mounted on the first supporter 20. As anotherembodiment, the first supporter 20 may be provided as a shuttle that maylinearly move in the chamber 10. As another embodiment, the firstsupporter 20 may be provided as a clamp arranged in the chamber 10 tohold the display substrate D. As another embodiment, the first supporter20 may be provided in the chamber 10, and may include an electrostaticchuck or an adhesive chuck for fixing the display substrate D. However,the first supporter 20 is not limited to the above examples, and mayinclude any device or structure that may support the display substrateD. Hereinafter, a case in which the first supporter 20 is fixed in thechamber 10 and the display substrate D is mounted on the first supporter20 will be described in detail for convenience of description.

The first mask assembly 40 or the second mask assembly 50 may be on thesecond supporter 30. Here, the second supporter 30 may adjust a positionof the first mask assembly 40 or the second mask assembly 50. Forexample, the second supporter 30 may elevate or rotate the first maskassembly 40 or the second mask assembly 50 a predetermined distance, ormay linearly move the first mask assembly 40 or the second mask assembly50 in a direction.

The first mask assembly 40 may selectively transmit a depositionmaterial. For example, the first mask assembly 40 may include one firstopening 43A for transmitting the deposition material. The depositionmaterial that has passed through the first opening 43A may be depositedon a region of the display substrate D. As another embodiment, the firstmask assembly 40 may include a plurality of first openings 43A thattransmit the deposition material. In this case, the display substrate Dis partitioned into a plurality of regions, and a part in each of theplurality of regions may correspond to each of the first openings 43A.In this case, the plurality of regions of the display substrate D areseparated from one another after depositing the deposition material, andthen each region may be manufactured as one display apparatus.Hereinafter, a case in which the first mask assembly 40 includes theplurality of first openings 43A will be described in detail forconvenience of description.

The first mask assembly 40 may include a first mask frame 41, a firstsupport frame 42, and a first mask 43. Here, the first mask frame 41 mayhave a space at a center thereof. The first mask frame 41 may have awindow frame shape. The first support frame 42 may be arranged on asurface of the first mask frame 41. Here, the first support frame 42 maybe provided as a grating on the first mask frame 41. The first supportframe 42 may be separately provided from the first mask frame 41 to becoupled to the first mask frame 41.

As another embodiment, the first support frame 42 may be integrallyprovided with the first mask frame 41. In the above case, the firstsupport frame 42 may partition an internal space of the first mask frame41 and may support the first mask 43. The first mask 43 may be arrangedon the first mask frame 41. Here, the first mask 43 may include theplurality of first openings 43A respectively corresponding to theregions of the display substrate D. Each of the plurality of firstopenings 43A may have a shape corresponding to a part of a display area(not shown) in each of the regions of the display substrate D. Here, thefirst mask 43 may include first protrusions 43B, each protruding from aboundary of each first opening 43A towards an inner portion of the firstopening 43A. In this case, the first protrusion 43B may define a part ofa first opening region (not shown) that will be described later. Thefirst protrusion 43B may have various shapes. For example, the firstprotrusion 43B may have a polygonal shape, a semi-circular shape, halfellipse, etc. The above shape of the first protrusion 43B may varydepending on a shape of the first opening region.

The first opening 43A may at least partially have a concavo-convex shapeon a boundary thereof. For example, at least a part of the boundary ofthe first opening 43A may have a protrusion protruding inward into thefirst opening 43A and a recess depressed in a direction away from theinside of the first opening 43A.

In the above case, there may be a plurality of protrusions and aplurality of recesses, and the protrusions and recesses may bealternately arranged. The plurality of protrusions may have variousshapes. For example, the plurality of protrusions may have constantsizes, but in another embodiment, at least two of the plurality ofprotrusions may have different sizes from each other. The plurality ofprotrusions may have constant shapes, but in another embodiment, atleast two of the plurality of protrusions may have different shapes fromeach other. The plurality of protrusions may be arranged in a constantpattern, but in another embodiment, the plurality of protrusions may bearranged in at least two different patterns.

When the protrusions are provided as above, the recesses may be providedsimilarly to the protrusions. For example, at least one of a size, ashape, and a pattern of the recess may be the same as or different fromthose of the other recesses. In this case, when the concavo-convex shapein at least a part of the first opening 43A is atypical, it may denotethat the concavo-convex shape may include at least two protrusions,wherein the two protrusions have sizes, shapes, and patterns, at leastone of which is different from that of the other. Also, when theconcavo-convex shape in at least a part of the first opening 43A isatypical, it may denote that the concavo-convex shape may include atleast two recesses, wherein the two recesses have sizes, shapes, andpatterns, at least one of which is different from that of the other.

From among the plurality of protrusions, the largest protrusion may havea width that is twice the thickness of the first mask 43 or less. Whenthe largest protrusion from among the plurality of protrusions has awidth that exceeds twice the thickness of the first mask 43, aprobability that a user may recognize a boundary of a first depositionarea DA1 (see FIG. 4 for example) manufactured through the first opening43A may increase. Here, a width of a protrusion may be defined as adistance between a starting point of the protrusion from the first mask43 to a point that is farthest from the starting point.

One first mask 43 may be provided or a plurality of first masks 43 maybe provided. When a plurality of first masks 43 are provided, theplurality of first masks 43 may be provided as sheets and arranged onthe first mask frame 41 to be adjacent to one another. Hereinafter, acase in which one first mask 43 is provided will be described in detailfor convenience of description.

The second mask assembly 50 may include a second mask frame 51, a secondsupport frame 52, and a second mask 53. Here, the second mask frame 51and the second support frame 52 are the same as or similar to the firstmask frame 41 and the first support frame 42, respectively, and thusdetailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

The second mask 53 may include a plurality of second openings 53A and aplurality of second protrusions 53B protruding respectively in thesecond openings 53A. In this case, a deposition material that has passedthrough each of the second openings 53A may form one display area withthe deposition material that has passed through each of the firstopenings 43A.

In this case, each of the second openings 53A may have a boundary, atleast a part of which has a concavo-convex shape. Here, the part wherethe concavo-convex shape is provided in the boundary of the secondopening 53A may be coupled to the part where the concavo-convex shape isprovided in the boundary of the first opening 43A.

That is, when the part having the concavo-convex shape in the boundaryof the second opening 53A meets the part having the concavo-convex shapein the boundary of the first opening 43A, the sizes and shapes of theprotrusions in the concavo-convex shape of the first opening 43A may beidentical with the sizes and shapes of the corresponding recesses in theconcavo-convex shape of the second opening 53A, and sizes and shapes ofthe protrusions in the concavo-convex shape of the second opening 53Amay be identical with sizes and shapes of the corresponding recesses inthe concavo-convex shape of the first opening 43A. When the secondprotrusion 53B is combined with the shape of the first protrusion 43B,the combined shape may be identical with or similar to the shape of thefirst opening region. In this case, a combined size of the firstprotrusion 43B and the second protrusion 53B may be greater than that ofthe first opening region.

The source portion 60 accommodates the deposition material, and maysublimate or vaporize the deposition material. Here, the source portion60 may include a heater for applying heat to the deposition material.Moreover, the source portion 60 may include a crucible for accommodatingthe deposition material. Here, the source portion 60 may stay still inthe chamber 10 or may linearly move or reciprocate in a direction in thechamber 10. Here, when the source portion 60 moves, a source driver (notshown) for linearly moving and reciprocating the source portion 60 maybe arranged in the chamber 10. In this case, the source driver mayinclude a linear motor. Hereinafter, a case in which the source portion60 is fixed in the chamber 10 will be described in detail forconvenience of description.

The vision portion 80 is arranged in the chamber 10 to capture an imageof at least one of the display substrate D, the first mask assembly 40,and the second mask assembly 50. The display substrate D and the firstmask assembly 40 may be aligned or the display substrate D and thesecond mask assembly 50 may be aligned based on data obtained by thevision portion 80.

The pressure adjuster 70 may be connected to the chamber 10 to adjust apressure in the chamber 10. The pressure adjuster 70 may include a guidepipe 71 connected to the chamber 10, and a vacuum pump 72 disposed inthe guide pipe 71 to adjust the pressure in the chamber 10. In thiscase, a gas in the chamber 10 may be discharged to the outside or anadditional gas may be supplied into the chamber 10 according to anoperation of the vacuum pump 72.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating operations of theapparatus 1 for manufacturing the display apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 isa cross-sectional view illustrating operations of the apparatus 1 formanufacturing the display apparatus of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, when the display apparatus (not shown) ismanufactured by using the apparatus 1 for manufacturing the displayapparatus, the display substrate D may be arranged in the chamber 10.Here, one of the first mask assembly 40 and the second mask assembly 50may be arranged in the chamber 10. Hereinafter, a case in which thefirst mask assembly 40 is arranged in the chamber 10 to perform adeposition and then the second mask assembly 50 is arranged in thechamber 10 to perform a deposition will be described for convenience ofdescription.

In the above case, the display substrate D may be on the first supporter20, and the first mask assembly 40 may be on the second supporter 30.

When the display substrate D and the first mask assembly 40 are arrangedas above, an alignment mark of the display substrate D and an alignmentmark of the first mask assembly 40 are photographed by the visionportion 80 and compared with each other to align the display substrate Dand the first mask assembly 40 with each other. Here, the secondsupporter 30 may finely adjust the position of the first mask assembly40.

The source portion 60 may operate to supply the deposition material intothe chamber 10. Here, the deposition material may be deposited on thedisplay substrate D after passing through the first openings 43A. Inthis case, other portions of the first mask 43, except for the firstopenings 43A, do not include additional holes formed therein, and thus,the deposition material may be blocked. Moreover, the first protrusions43B may block the deposition material. In this case, the depositionmaterial that has passed through the first opening 43A may be depositedon the first deposition area DA1 in the display area (not shown) of thedisplay substrate D. Here, the first deposition area DA1 may be a partof the display area. Also, the deposition material blocked by the firstprotrusion 43B may not be deposited on the display substrate D, but mayconfigure a part of the first opening region (not shown).

During the above operations, the vacuum pump 72 operates to dischargethe gas in the chamber 10 to the outside of the chamber 10.

After the above processes, the first mask assembly 40 may be withdrawnout of the chamber 10. Here, the vacuum pump 72 operates to adjust thepressure in the chamber 10 to be identical with or similar to theatmospheric pressure.

After withdrawing the first mask assembly 40 out of the chamber 10, thesecond mask assembly 50 may be inserted to the chamber 10. Here, thegate valve 11 may open the chamber 10, and a robot arm, etc. maywithdraw the first mask assembly 40 to the outside of the chamber 10 ormay insert the second mask assembly 50 into the chamber 10.

When the second mask assembly 50 is arranged on the second supporter 30,the vision portion 80 photographs the alignment mark of the displaysubstrate D and an alignment mark of the second mask assembly 50 and thedisplay substrate D and the second mask assembly 50 may be aligned witheach other based on the captured image.

The source portion 60 may supply the deposition material again, and thedeposition material may be deposited on the display substrate D throughthe second openings 53A. In this case, the deposition material that haspassed through the second openings 53A may be deposited on a seconddeposition area DA2 in the display area.

The second deposition area DA2 may be a part of the display area and mayconfigure one display area with the first deposition area DA1. In thiscase, the first deposition area DA1 and the second deposition area DA2may at least partially overlap with each other to form an overlappingregion (not shown). Here, a thickness of the deposition material in thefirst deposition area DA1 at the overlapping region may be less thanthat of the deposition material in the other portion of the firstdeposition area DA1. In particular, the thickness of the depositionmaterial in the first deposition area DA1 at the overlapping region maybe reduced towards a center of the second deposition area DA2. Athickness of the deposition material in the second deposition area DA2at the overlapping region may be less than that of the depositionmaterial in the other portion of the second deposition area DA2. Whenthe deposition material is ejected from the deposition source in thedeposition process, the mask and the substrate are slightly separatedfrom each other so that part of the deposition material is blocked bythe edge of the opening portion of the mask, for example, an unevenportion of the mask. Accordingly, the deposition material is lessdeposited in a portion of the substrate far from the edge of the openingportion of the mask than a portion of the substrate closer to the edgeof the opening portion of the mask. As a result, the thickness of atleast a portion of the edge is less than that of the other portion.

In this case, the thickness of the deposition material in the seconddeposition area DA2 at the overlapping region may be reduced towards acenter of the first deposition area DA1. A boundary of the firstdeposition area DA1 and a boundary of the second deposition area DA2 inthe overlapping region may correspond to the concavo-convex shape of thefirst opening 43A and the concavo-convex shape of the second opening53A, respectively. Here, the second protrusion 53B blocks the depositionmaterial to form the other portion of the first opening region (notshown).

As described above, when the deposition material is deposited on thedisplay substrate D, the first deposition area DA1 and the seconddeposition area DA2 may be connected to each other via the overlappingregion to form one display area. Also, the first protrusion 43B and thesecond protrusion 53B may form the first opening region. In this state,the deposition material may not be deposited on the first openingregion.

After that, the display substrate D may be discharged to the outside ofthe chamber 10, and then a new display substrate D is inserted into thechamber 10 and the above processes may be repeatedly performed. In thiscase, since the second mask assembly 50 is arranged in the chamber 10,the deposition material may be deposited on the display substrate Dthrough the second mask assembly 50, and after that, the depositionmaterial may be deposited on the display substrate D through the firstmask assembly 40.

The display substrate D on which the deposition material is deposited asdescribed above may obtain a second opening region (not shown) when ahole is formed by irradiating a laser to the first opening region or bymechanically polishing the first opening region. Here, the first openingregion and the second opening region may be integrally manufactured witheach other and may be connected to each other. Moreover, the secondopening region that is fabricated later may be smaller than the firstopening region.

When the above processes are finished, a thin film encapsulation layermay be located on the display substrate D on which the depositionmaterial is deposited.

Therefore, according to the apparatus 1 for manufacturing the displayapparatus and the method of manufacturing the display apparatus, thedisplay apparatus including opening regions may be manufactured. Also,according to the apparatus 1 and method of manufacturing the displayapparatus, applying of the deposition material to an opening region maybe prevented by a simple structure, and thus, foreign matter that may begenerated when forming the opening region may be reduced.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a display apparatus manufactured by theapparatus 1 for manufacturing the display apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 isa cross-sectional view taken along a line VII-VII of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is across-sectional view showing an enlarged view of an organiclight-emitting device of FIG. 7.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, a display apparatus (not shown) may include adisplay panel P and an electronic element (not shown) corresponding toan opening region RA of the display panel P. Here, the opening region RAmay be the same as a second opening region RA2. Although not shown inthe drawings, component(s) such as an input sensing member for sensing atouch input, an anti-reflection member including a polarizer and aretarder, or a color filter and a black matrix, a transparent window,etc. may be further arranged on the display panel P. Here, theelectronic element may be arranged in an opening OP that will bedescribed later or an outer portion of the opening OP.

The display panel P may include a substrate 100, a display element layer(not denoted) arranged on the substrate 100 and including displayelements, and a thin film encapsulation layer 300 that is a sealingmember for covering the display element layer.

The substrate 100 may include a transparent glass material containingSiO₂ as a main component. The display element layer may include displayelements such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) arranged on adisplay area DA. Although not shown in the drawings, the display elementlayer may include circuits and wirings electrically connected to theOLED that is the display element. The thin film encapsulation layer 300covers the display element layer in order to prevent external moistureor contamination materials from infiltrating into the display elementlayer. The thin film encapsulation layer 300 may include at least oneinorganic encapsulation layer and at least one organic encapsulationlayer.

The display panel P may include the opening OP corresponding to theopening region RA and penetrating therethrough. The substrate 100, thedisplay element layer, and the thin film encapsulation layer 300 mayhave openings corresponding to the opening region RA, wherein theopenings may form the opening OP of the display panel P.

The opening region RA is a portion where the electronic element isarranged, and the electronic element may correspond to the openings inthe substrate 100, the display element layer, and the thin filmencapsulation layer 300. The opening of the substrate 100 penetratesthrough upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 100, the opening ofthe display element layer penetrates through lowermost and uppermostlayers of the display element layer, and the opening of the thin filmencapsulation layer 300 penetrates through the thin film encapsulationlayer 300.

The electronic element may use light or sound. For example, theelectronic element may include a light-receiving sensor such as aninfrared-ray (IR) sensor, a camera capturing an image by receivinglight, a sensor for outputting and sensing light or sound to measure adistance or recognize a fingerprint, a small-sized lamp illuminatinglight, a speaker for outputting sound, etc. The electronic element usinglight may use light of various wavelength bands such as visible light,IR light, ultraviolet (UV) rays, etc.

The opening region RA may be appreciated as a transmission area, throughwhich light and/or sound output from the electronic element orproceeding towards the electronic element from outside may transmit. Inparticular, when a portion in the display panel P corresponding to theopening region RA is completely removed, for example, when the openingOP penetrates through the display panel P, the light or sound output orreceived by the electronic element may be efficiently used.

Unlike the above example in which the substrate 100, the display elementlayer, and the thin film encapsulation layer 300 may each include anopening corresponding to the opening region RA, the substrate 100 maynot include an opening.

Here, although the substrate 100 may not include an opening, the displayelement layer and the thin film encapsulation layer 300 respectivelyinclude openings, and thus a transmittance of light used by theelectronic element may be ensured. For example, the light transmittanceof the opening region RA in the display panel P may be equal to orgreater than about 50%, for example, equal to or greater than about 70%,75%, 70%, 85%, or 90%.

As another embodiment, the substrate 100 of the display panel P mayinclude a polymer resin, and in this case, the substrate 100 may be moreflexible than a substrate of a glass material. For example, thesubstrate 100 may include a first base material layer (not shown), afirst inorganic layer (not shown), a second base material layer (notshown), and a second inorganic layer (not shown) that are sequentiallystacked in the stated order.

The first and second base material layers may include a transparentpolymer resin. The transparent polymer resin may include a polyethersulphone (PES), polyacrylate (PAR), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyphynylenesulfide (PPS), polyarylate, polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC),cellulose triacetate (TAC), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), etc.

The first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer include barrierlayers for preventing infiltration of external impurities, and may eachhave a single-layered or multi-layered structure including siliconnitride (SiNx) and/or silicon oxide (SiOx).

The substrate 100 including polymer resin may or may not include anopening corresponding to the opening region RA. On the contrary, thedisplay element layer and the thin film encapsulation layer 300 may eachinclude an opening, as described above.

The display panel P includes a plurality of pixels (not shown) on thedisplay area DA. The above pixels may each include an OLED. Each of thepixels may emit light, e.g., red light, green light, blue light, orwhite light, via the OLED.

A first non-display area NDA1 surrounds the opening region RA. The firstnon-display area NDA1 may be a region on which a display element such asan OLED that emits light is not arranged. A second non-display area NDA2may include a scan driver (not shown) for providing each pixel with ascan signal, a data driver (not shown) for providing each pixel with adata signal, and a main power line (not shown) for supplying first andsecond power voltages.

A buffer layer 201 may be on the substrate 100 in order to preventimpurities from infiltrating into a semiconductor layer of a thin filmtransistor. The buffer layer 201 may include an inorganic insulatingmaterial such as SiNx or SiOx, and may have a single-layered ormulti-layered structure including the above inorganic insulatingmaterial. In some embodiments, the second inorganic layer may beappreciated as a partial layer of the buffer layer 201 having themulti-layered structure.

A pixel circuit PC including a thin film transistor TFT, a storagecapacitor Cst, etc. may be on the buffer layer 201. The thin filmtransistor TFT may include a semiconductor layer ACT, a gate electrodeGE, a source electrode SE, and a drain electrode DE. The thin filmtransistor TFT may be a driving thin film transistor. In one embodiment,a top gate type transistor in which the gate electrode GE is on thesemiconductor layer ACT with a gate insulating layer 203 providedtherebetween is shown, but according to another embodiment, the thinfilm transistor TFT may be a bottom gate type transistor.

The semiconductor layer ACT may include polysilicon. Alternatively, thesemiconductor layer ACT may include amorphous silicon, oxidesemiconductor, organic semiconductor, etc. The gate electrode GE mayinclude a low-resistive metal material. The gate electrode GE mayinclude a conductive material including molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al),copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), etc., and may have a single-layered ormulti-layered structure.

The gate insulating layer 203 is between the semiconductor layer ACT andthe gate electrode GE. The gate insulating layer 203 may include aninorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride,silicon oxynitride, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide,hafnium oxide, etc.

The source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE may include a highlyconductive material. The source electrode SE and the drain electrode DEmay include a conductive material including Mo, Al, Cu, Ti, etc., andmay have a single-layered or multi-layered structure including the abovematerials. As an embodiment, the source electrode SE and the drainelectrode DE may have a multi-layered structure including Ti/Al/Ti.

The storage capacitor Cst includes a lower electrode CE1 and an upperelectrode CE2 overlapping with each other with a first interlayerinsulating layer 205 therebetween. The storage capacitor Cst may overlapwith the thin film transistor TFT. Regarding this, FIG. 7 shows astructure in which the gate electrode GE of the thin film transistor TFTis the lower electrode CE1 of the storage capacitor Cst, but one or moreembodiments are not limited thereto. As another embodiment, the storagecapacitor Cst may not overlap with the thin film transistor TFT. Thestorage capacitor Cst may be covered by a second interlayer insulatinglayer 207.

The first and second interlayer insulating layers 205 and 207 may eachinclude inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, siliconnitride, silicon oxynitride, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalumoxide, hafnium oxide, etc.

The pixel circuit PC including the thin film transistor TFT and thestorage capacitor Cst is covered by a first insulating layer 209. Thefirst insulating layer 209 includes a planarized insulating layer, andmay include a general universal polymer (polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)or polystyrene (PS)), polymer derivatives having phenol groups,acryl-based polymer, imide-based polymer, aryl ether-based polymer,amide-based polymer, fluoride-based polymer, p-xylene-based polymer,vinyl alcohol-based polymer, and blends thereof. As an embodiment, thefirst insulating layer 209 may include polyimide. As an embodiment, thefirst insulating layer 209 may have a thickness of about 1.7 μm to about2.4 μm.

An organic light-emitting diode OLED is on the first insulating layer209. A pixel electrode 221 of the organic light-emitting diode OLED ison the first insulating layer 209, and may be connected to the pixelcircuit PC via a contact hole of the first insulating layer 209.

The pixel electrode 221 may include a conductive oxide such as indiumtin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium oxide(In₂O₃), indium gallium oxide, or aluminum zinc oxide (AZO). As anotherembodiment, the pixel electrode 221 may include a reflective layerincluding silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt),palladium (Pd), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir),chrome (Cr), or a compound thereof. As another embodiment, the pixelelectrode 221 may further include a layer including ITO, IZO, ZnO, orIn₂O₃ on/under the reflective layer.

A second insulating layer 211 includes an opening exposing an uppersurface of the pixel electrode 221, but covers edges of the pixelelectrode 221. The second insulating layer 211 includes an inorganicinsulating material. For example, the second insulating layer 211 mayinclude silicon oxide and/or silicon nitride, and may have asingle-layered or multi-layered structure. The second insulating layer211 may have a thickness that is less than that of the first insulatinglayer 209.

An intermediate layer 222 includes an emission layer 222B. The emissionlayer 222B may include a polymer or low-molecular weight organicmaterial emitting a predetermined color light. As an embodiment, theintermediate layer 222 may include a first functional layer 222A underthe emission layer 222B and/or a second functional layer 222C on theemission layer 222B, as shown in FIG. 8.

The first functional layer 222A may have a single-layered ormulti-layered structure. For example, when the first functional layer222A includes a polymer material, the first functional layer 222Aincludes a hole transport layer (HTL) having a single-layered structure,and may include poly-(3,4)-ethylene-dihydroxy thiophene (PEDOT) orpolyaniline (PANI). When the first functional layer 222A includes alow-molecular weight material, the first functional layer 222A mayinclude a hole injection layer (HIL) and an HTL.

The second functional layer 222C is an optional layer. For example, whenthe first functional layer 222A and the emission layer 222B include apolymer material, the second functional layer 222C may be provided inorder to improve characteristics of the organic light-emitting diodeOLED. The second functional layer 222C may have a single-layered ormulti-layered structure. The second functional layer 222C may include anelectron transport layer (ETL) and/or an electron injection layer (EIL).

Some of the plurality of layers included in the intermediate layer 222,e.g., the first and second functional layers 222A and 222C, may bearranged on the first non-display area NDA1, as well as the display areaDA.

An opposite electrode 223 is arranged facing the pixel electrode 221 asthe intermediate layer 222 is provided therebetween. The oppositeelectrode 223 may include a conductive material having a low workfunction. For example, the opposite electrode 223 may include a(semi-)transparent layer including Ag, Mg, Al, Pt, Pd, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir,Cr, lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), or an alloy thereof. Alternatively, theopposite electrode 223 may further include a layer including ITO, IZO,ZnO, or In₂O₃ on the (semi-)transparent layer including the abovematerial. Here, the opposite electrode 223 may be located on the firstnon-display area NDA1, as well as the display area DA. As anotherembodiment, the opposite electrode 223 may be located only on thedisplay area DA. Hereinafter, a case in which the opposite electrode 223is located only on the display area DA will be described in detail forconvenience of description.

The organic light-emitting diode OLED is covered by the thin filmencapsulation layer 300. The thin film encapsulation layer 300 mayinclude at least one organic encapsulation layer and at least oneinorganic encapsulation layer. In FIG. 7, the thin film encapsulationlayer 300 includes first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 310and 330 and an organic encapsulation layer 320 between the first andsecond inorganic encapsulation layers 310 and 330, but a stacking orderand the number of layers may vary.

The first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 310 and 330 mayinclude one or more inorganic insulating materials from aluminum oxide,titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, zinc oxide, siliconoxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride, and may be manufacturedby chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The organic encapsulation layer 320may include a polymer-based material. The polymer-based material mayinclude an acryl-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, polyimide,polyethylene, etc.

Data lines DL may be alternately arranged as an insulating layer isprovided therebetween. Data lines DL adjacent to each other may berespectively located on and under an insulating layer (e.g., the secondinterlayer insulating layer 207).

The above display apparatus may be manufactured by using the apparatus 1and method of manufacturing the display apparatus illustrated above withreference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

In detail, when at least one of the first and second functional layers222A and 222C and the opposite electrode 223 is manufactured by usingthe apparatus (not shown) for manufacturing the display apparatus, thefirst mask assembly (not shown) and the second mask assembly (not shown)described above may be used. Here, at least one of the first and secondfunctional layers 222A and 222C and the opposite electrode 223 may beseparately fabricated through at least two operations. Hereinafter, acase in which at least one of the first and second functional layers222A and 222C and the opposite electrode 223 is separately fabricatedthrough at least two operations will be described for convenience ofdescription. Also, a case in which the first and second functionallayers 222A and 222C are manufactured will be described for convenienceof description.

When the first and second functional layers 222A and 222C aremanufactured, as described above, the deposition material may bedeposited on the display substrate D through one of the first maskassembly 40 and the second mask assembly 50. Here, the display substrateD may include the substrate 100, the buffer layer 201, the gateinsulating layer 203, the thin film transistor TFT, the secondinterlayer insulating layer 207, the first insulating layer 209, thesecond insulating layer 211, and the pixel electrode 221. As anotherembodiment, the display substrate D may further include the firstfunctional layer 222A and the emission layer 222B, in addition to theabove layers. In this case, both the first functional layer 222A and thesecond functional layer 222C may be manufactured by the apparatus 1 formanufacturing the display apparatus described above. Hereinafter, a casein which the second functional layer 222C is manufactured on the displaysubstrate D will be described in detail for convenience of description.

As described above, the second functional layer 222C may be deposited onthe display substrate D by using one of the first mask assembly 40 andthe second mask assembly 50, and then, may be deposited on the displaysubstrate D by using the other of the first mask assembly 40 and thesecond mask assembly 50.

In this case, the second functional layer 222C may not be deposited onthe opening region RA because the second functional layer 222C isblocked by the first protrusion 43B (not shown) and the secondprotrusion 53B (not shown). As another embodiment, the second functionallayer 222C may not be deposited on the first non-display area NDA1surrounding the opening region RA, due to the first protrusion 43B andthe second protrusion 53B.

In the above case, the deposition material that has passed through afirst opening 43A (not shown) is deposited on the first deposition areaDA1 and the deposition material that has passed through the secondopening 53A (not shown) may be deposited on the second deposition areaDA2 to obtain the second functional layer 222C. Here, the firstdeposition area DA1 and the second deposition area DA2 may at leastpartially overlap with each other to form an overlapping region AR. Inthis case, a boundary of the overlapping region AR may include a part ofthe boundary of the first deposition area DA1 and a part of the boundaryof the second deposition area DA2. In this case, the boundary of theoverlapping region AR may have a straight line shape or a concavo-convexshape. Here, a part of the boundary of the overlapping region AR mayhave a concavo-convex shape, and the concavo-convex shape may beatypical. In particular, the boundary of the overlapping region ARhaving the concavo-convex shape may be in the first deposition area DA1and the second deposition area DA2.

Unlike the above example, when the overlapping region AR is notprovided, the boundary of the first deposition area DA1 and the boundaryof the second deposition area DA2 facing each other may not be connectedto each other, which may allow a user to recognize the boundary. Also,even when the facing boundaries of the first deposition area DA1 and thesecond deposition area DA2 abut each other, a boundary between the firstdeposition area DA1 and the second deposition area DA2 may be visiblefrom outside the display apparatus.

However, the visible boundary may be prevented when the overlappingregion AR is provided as described above. In particular, when theboundary of the overlapping region AR has a part of the concavo-convexshape that is atypical, the visibility of the boundary may decrease.

As described above, after forming the second functional layer 222C, theopposite electrode 223 may be located on the second functional layer222C. The opposite electrode 223 may be provided similarly to the secondfunctional layer 222C. In this case, in the opening region RA, a firstopening region RA1 where the first functional layer 222A, the secondfunctional layer 222C, and the opposite electrode 223 are not providedmay be generated.

After that, the thin film encapsulation layer 300 is located on theopposite electrode 223 to manufacture the display panel P. In this case,at least a part of the thin film encapsulation layer 300 is arranged onan internal surface of the first opening region RA1 to shield at least apart of the first opening region RA1 from the outside.

After that, a laser beam may be irradiated on the first opening regionRA1 or the first opening region RA1 may be mechanically polished to formthe second opening region RA2, and then forming of the opening region RAmay be finished. In this case, the second opening region RA2 maypenetrate through the substrate 100 and the other layers.

Therefore, in the display apparatus, a part of the boundary of theoverlapping region AR may not be visible to the user on the outerportion of the display apparatus even when the display area DA isseparately deposited. Also, according to the display apparatus, gas orimpurities generated when a laser is used to form the second openingregion RA2 may be reduced, and a thermal deformation of the first andsecond functional layers 222A and 222C due to the heat applied to thefirst and second functional layers 222A and 222C may be prevented.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a first opening 43A-1 according to anembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9, an apparatus (not shown) for manufacturing adisplay apparatus may be similar to that illustrated above withreference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Here, a boundary of the first opening 43A-1and a boundary of a second opening (not shown) may each partially have aconcavo-convex shape. The concavo-convex shape may be atypical. Here,since the concavo-convex shape in the boundary of the first opening43A-1 and the concavo-convex shape in the boundary of the second openingare opposite to each other to be coupled to each other, theconcavo-convex shape in the boundary of the first opening 43A-1 will bedescribed in detail for convenience of description.

The concavo-convex shape in the boundary of the first opening 43A-1 maybe a predetermined pattern shapes. For example, the concavo-convex shapein the boundary of the first opening 43A-1 may include at least twoprotrusions and two recesses, and two different protrusions may have thesame sizes and shapes as each other. In this case, edges of theprotrusions may be straight lines. Here, the protrusions may haverectangular shapes as shown in FIG. 9.

As described above, when the concavo-convex shape is provided in theboundary of the first opening 43A-1, a first deposition area (not shown)formed by the first opening 43A-1 may have a similar shape to that ofthe first opening 43A-1. Here, a first protrusion 43B-1 may protrudetowards an inner portion of the first opening 43A-1. The firstprotrusion 43B-1 blocks the deposition material to form an openingregion (not shown).

In addition, the second opening may be arranged at a different locationfrom the first opening 43A-1, and as described above, the second openingmay form a second deposition area (not shown). Here, the seconddeposition area may configure a display area (not shown) together withthe first deposition area.

As described above, when the first opening 43A-1 and the second openinghave the above concavo-convex shapes, the concavo-convex shapes in thedisplay apparatus manufactured as above may not be visible to the user,and the overlapping region between the first deposition area and thesecond deposition area may not be recognized by the user on the outerportion of the display apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a first opening 43A-2 according to anembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 10, a boundary of the first opening 43A-2 maypartially have a concavo-convex shape of a curved type. In this case,the concavo-convex shape of the first opening 43A-2 may have variouscurves such as a sine wave, a cosine wave, etc.

A concavo-convex shape of a second opening (not shown) may be oppositeto the concavo-convex shape of the first opening 43A-2. For example,when the first opening 43A-2 and the second opening are located oppositeto each other based on an arbitrary line, the concavo-convex shape ofthe first opening 43A-2 and the concavo-convex shape of the secondopening may meet each other. That is, protrusions in the concavo-convexshape of the first opening 43A-2 may be inserted to recesses in theconcavo-convex shape of the second opening, and protrusions in theconcavo-convex shape of the second opening may be inserted to recessesin the concavo-convex shape of the first opening 43A-2.

A first protrusion 43B-2 may protrude in the first opening 43A-2. Here,the first protrusion 43B-2 may form an opening region (not shown)described above.

In the above case, a display area (not shown) formed by the firstopening 43A-2 and the second opening includes an overlapping region (notshown) as described above, and a visibility of a boundary of theoverlapping region may noticeably decrease due to the concavo-convexshape.

Therefore, high quality of the display apparatus may be maintained evenwhen the opening region is provided.

According to one or more embodiments, various electronic elements may bearranged because the opening is formed.

According to one or more embodiments, gas or impurities generated duringthe forming of the opening may be reduced.

According to one or more embodiments, a part of the opening may beformed by using a simple structure.

It should be understood that embodiments described herein should beconsidered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to thefigures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a substratecomprising an opening region and a display area at least partiallysurrounding the opening region; a plurality of display elements on thedisplay area, each of the plurality of display elements comprising apixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediate layerbetween the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode; and a thin filmencapsulation layer comprising at least one organic encapsulation layerand at least one inorganic encapsulation layer, the thin filmencapsulation layer covering the plurality of display elements, whereinthe opposite electrode and a functional layer of the intermediate layerare entirely arranged on the display area, at least one of the oppositeelectrode and the functional layer is partitioned into a plurality ofregions connected to each other on the display area, and an overlappingregion is provided between two adjacent regions from among the pluralityof regions, wherein the overlapping region is obtained by overlapping atleast one of the opposite electrode and the functional layer on eachregion with at least one of the opposite electrode and the functionallayer on an adjacent region.
 2. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein a boundary of the overlapping region at least partially has aconcavo-convex shape.
 3. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein theconcavo-convex shape is atypical.